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Tension Headache Symptoms and Treatments

Tension Headache Symptoms

Usually, Tension headache [4] is described as a squeezing sensation, like a hoop, hard hat, or tight cap. Headache, usually bilateral, often spreads to other areas or, conversely, originates from the back of the head and spreads upward. The pain is usually mild to moderate in intensity, but sometimes it can be severe enough to make it difficult to do daily activities. In most cases, Tension headaches are not accompanied by concomitant symptoms.

The most common symptoms of Tension headache are explained below;

  1. Dull, aching, pulling pain: Its first symptom will be the appearance of pain in the head area of mild or moderate severity, to which a person gradually gets used [5]. The nature of pain is mild, because of this, people often prefer self-medication instead of going to a doctor. Pain is felt like a pressure-type pain across the head as if a helmet is tight on the head. It is dull aching pain. dull, aching, pulling pain;
  2. Migrating pain and hypersensitivity: Often with tension headaches, patients notice bilateral painful pressure in the head, often patients complain of pain migrating from the forehead to the back of the head [6]. There may be hypersensitivity of the scalp, neck muscles, and often the shoulder girdle with tension headache.
  3. Constant pain: The main difference between this pain and other types of headache is that it is constant, but not throbbing. The duration of an attack ranges from 30 minutes to several days. The duration of pain depends on the individual characteristics of the human body.

Depending on the duration, the following types of tension headaches are distinguished:

  • Episodic – lasts from 30 minutes [7] to 1 week. Frequent attacks of tension headaches are considered when they occur for no more than 15 days a month, for 3 months. Such headaches can eventually transform into type 2.
  • Chronic – lasts for hours or days. It is recognized as chronic if it occurs within 15 or more days over 3 months.
  1. Other associated symptoms: It does not provoke the appearance of bouts of nausea or vomiting [8], but, nevertheless, this pain also has accompanying phenomena, such as intolerance to bright light [9] and loud sounds, nervousness, as well as increased fatigue. It can cause also difficulty falling asleep [10]. People with tension headaches try to relieve the condition by massaging the scalp and lower neck.

Tension headaches are as common in children as in adults or the elderly.  Therefore, when establishing a diagnosis, in the last place, attention should be paid to the patient’s age, it is much more important what factors provoked its appearance.